1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of bookbinding and, in particular, to a bookbinding system which utilizing a substrate having an adhesive coating, with the substrate forming the spine and front cover of the book.
2. Description of Related Art
Binding systems using a binding strip are well known as exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,496,617. One disadvantage of the binding strip system is that specialized equipment is needed to print information on the strip. Other types of binding systems incorporate a wrap around cover which includes what will be the front cover, the back cover and the spine of the bound book. Such a binding system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,289,330. One disadvantage of the wrap around cover binding system is that different thicknesses of stacks of pages to be bound require different sizes of wrap around covers.
In addition, conventional binding systems capable of use with relatively inexpensive using desktop binding machines produce bound books having soft covers. In some instances, there is a need for a low cost binding system that can produce a bound book having hard covers.
The present invention overcomes the above-noted shortcomings of the prior art. The binding system in accordance with the one embodiment of the present invention includes front, rear and a spine sections, all of which can be printed using a conventional desk top ink jet. Further, a single size embodiment of the subject binding system can accommodate a relatively wide range of book thicknesses. Further, a second embodiment of the present invention permits a hardcover book to be produced using conventional desktop bookbinding machines. These and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following Detailed Description of the Invention together with the drawings.
A bookbinding system and method of binding a stack of sheets is disclosed. The system includes a cover/spine assembly comprising a relatively rigid cover section and a spine section. The cover section has a width and length at least as great as the length and width of the stack to bound. The spine section has a length that corresponds to the length of the first cover section and a width which is greater than the height of the stack.
A first edge of the spine section is secured to a first edge of the cover section along the length of the cover section so that the spine section can be folded with respect to the cover section. An adhesive matrix is disposed on the spine section, which includes a central adhesive band extending along the length of the spine section, with the central adhesive band being a heat-activated, relatively low viscosity adhesive. The matrix further includes an outer adhesive band extending along the length of the spine section intermediate the central band and a second edge of the spine section, opposite the first edge.
A stack is bound by placing the stack over the cover section and folding the spine section over the edge of the stack. Preferably, a second relatively rigid cover section is placed over the stack, with a portion of the folded spine section being positioned over the second cover section. The assembly is placed in a conventional desk top binding machine which operates to activate the central adhesive so that the edge of the stack will be able to absorb the low viscosity adhesive and to activate the outer adhesive band so that the spine section will be bonded to the second cover section. A bound book will result simulating the feel and appearance of a hardcover book bound using conventional techniques.